A lot has been written lately on publishing blogs by romance authors, agents and other industry professionals about e-books and their place in world of romance novels. I was especially impressed by Deidre Knight’s blog post on the issue. Deidre’s blog entry specifically addresses RWA’s stance on e-books. I am still in the process of gathering info on this hot button subject and do not feel I can articulate a hard and fast opinion at this time. What I should like to share are my thoughts on e-books themselves as I am often asked the simple question: what do you think of e-books? I hear this inquiry from friends both in and out of the publishing/writer world.
From my perspective (and I certainly cannot claim to know everything about the issue or the e-book market) I don’t believe there is a right was or a wrong way to share stories with readers. I would likely purchase Julia Quinn’s upcoming release, What Happens in London, even if the book was only available as a series of post-it notes taped to the back of a cereal box. I have read a few e-books in the past and can say I enjoyed them as much as some of the mass market paperbacks I’ve read. When I worked in publishing, my company provided me with an e-reader so that I could read manuscripts without having to carry reams of paper back and forth to work. I loved my e-reader and was quite sad when I had to return it (my blackberry was another story). But more importantly, I loved the books I was reading on my e-reader. In my humble opinion, the format is only as good as the material available.
That said, my concern with e-books is that a reader must actively search for a title. And I wonder how many “impulse buys” would be lost. How many readers would never discover a new author because they simply did not see the book? Distributing mass market paperbacks to outlets such as Wal-Mart, Target, and your local grocery stores offers an amazing opportunity that I’m not sure the e-book market can replicate. At least, not yet.
For example, a reader who has enjoyed historical romance novels in the past could stop by her (or his) local Safeway grocery store (or Stop & Shop if you are in New England) for a loaf of bread. As the shopper weaves through the aisle with her bread in hand, she passes through the book aisle and out of the corner of her eyes sees a number of cover images that look like titles she has enjoyed in the past. The shopper pauses and picks up a title, perhaps A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore which might happen to be on the shelf beside a Nicole Jordan title she read and loved. After a quick peak at the copy on the back of the book the shopper races to the checkout with her new treasure and the loaf of bread. Could a similar “impulse buy” happen for e-books?
I would love to hear others thoughts on this interesting issue. Do you read e-books? Do you prefer e-books to print? Do you own a Sony e-reader or a Kindle?
Under another name I have written e-books. I personally feel that just as much heart and soul go into writing a book that is electronically produced as a more traditionally produced book.
I also feel that e-books are a step toward publication with bigger houses. Let’s face it, the real money is in bigger distribution and as you stated, impulse buys. E-books are just starting out, really but I do think they will be a force to be reckoned with later. Once the masterminds of marketing figure out a way to push (Amazon is already working toward that) bigger and bigger chunks of the market will go toward e-books.
Another wonderful thing about e-books is the writing guidelines ie word length and subject matter, are much more lax. To me that improves creativity and diversity.
But there’s something so wonderful about holding your favorite book in your hands and curling up on the couch with it. They need to make cuddly Kindle covers!
Good blog!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on e-books Christiana! I agree that e-books are a great step towards publication by the larger houses. And in some cases lax guidelines can lead to some very creative stories!
I don’t buy ebooks. I like having books in print to keep on my shelf. Also, I think an author writing ebooks can only do well if she has already established a big readership base. Like you said, if Julia Quinn published an ebook, many would buy it, no doubt. But if it’s an author I know nothing of, I think I’d be a bit skeptical as to whether I’d enjoy it or not–I guess it’s due to that whole prejudice against ebook authors, that they weren’t able to publish the traditional way, so turned to ebook publishing.
But this, I’m sure, is a big misonception.
I read an ebook once by an author I never heard of and thought it amazing. That’s when I realized that just like traditionally published books, there will always be good and bad books.
I hear you about the impulse buy. Good point. I just got a Sony and am loving it but I’m sure all my buys will be from recommendations or from authors I actively look for. I do feel digital is a big part of the future and marketing will be key here.